Question

Choose the sentence with the right word order Harry lived in a big modern house. In a modern big house lived Harry. English has a rigid word order that cannot be changed without changing the meaning of the sentence.In the test we are given a declarative sentence (statement). The standard word order in declarative sentences is SUBJECT + PREDICATE (Verb) + object + adverbial modifier. We are to find the subject, the predicate, the object and/or the adverbial modifier in the test sentence.The subject is placed at the beginning of the sentence and is usually expressed by a noun or a pronoun. In the test we are given two nouns: the proper noun ‘Harry’ and the common noun ‘house’. When looking for the subject in a sentence, we need to look for the verb first. A verb is a word that helps a subject perform an action (ran, drank, fights, swims). In the test sentence there is only one action verb ‘lived’ that is in the past simple tense, thus, it is the predicate. The predicate stands after the subject and is usually represented by a main verb or by the combination of an auxiliary or modal verb with a main verb.As ‘a house’ cannot ‘live’, we understand that in the test sentence ‘Harry’ (who?) is the subject and ‘house’ is the part of the adverbial modifier of place in the test sentence (lived where? → in a house). Thus,we found the subject, the predicate and the adverbial modifier of place of the test sentence: ‘Harry lived ina…house.’. We are given two ANSWERS with this order: ANSWER 1 and ANSWER 2.Then, we need to choose the right adjective order before the common noun ‘house’: ‘a big modern house’ or ‘a modern big house’. When more than one adjective comes before a noun, the adjectives are normally ina particular order. The most usual sequence of adjectives is the following: 1. general opinion (good, lovely,nice, etc.); 2. specific opinion (We only use such adjectives that give a specific opinion to describe particular kinds of noun (delicious, comfortable, clever, friendly); 3. size (big, tall); 4. physical quality (thin, untidy); 5. shape (round); 6. age (young, old); 7. colour (green, pastel); 8. origin (Dutch,northern); 9. material (metal, wood); 10. type (general-purpose, U-shaped, four-sided); 11.purpose (folding, work, racing).Thus, for the test sentence we need to choose ANSWER 1: Harry lived in a big (3. size) modern (6.age) house. 1

Accepted Answer

1 Harry lived in a modern big house. Harry in a big modern house lived. word order

Task	Choose the sentence with the right word order
Answer	1
a	Harry lived in a big modern house.
b	Harry lived in a modern big house.
c	In a modern big house lived Harry.
d	Harry in a big modern house lived.
comment	English has a rigid word order that cannot be changed without changing the meaning of the sentence.In the test we are given a declarative sentence (statement). The standard word order in declarative sentences is SUBJECT + PREDICATE (Verb) + object + adverbial modifier. We are to find the subject, the predicate, the object and/or the adverbial modifier in the test sentence.The subject is placed at the beginning of the sentence and is usually expressed by a noun or a pronoun. In the test we are given two nouns: the proper noun ‘Harry’ and the common noun ‘house’. When looking for the subject in a sentence, we need to look for the verb first. A verb is a word that helps a subject perform an action (ran, drank, fights, swims). In the test sentence there is only one action verb ‘lived’ that is in the past simple tense, thus, it is the predicate. The predicate stands after the subject and is usually represented by a main verb or by the combination of an auxiliary or modal verb with a main verb.As ‘a house’ cannot ‘live’, we understand that in the test sentence ‘Harry’ (who?) is the subject and ‘house’ is the part of the adverbial modifier of place in the test sentence (lived where? → in a house). Thus,we found the subject, the predicate and the adverbial modifier of place of the test sentence: ‘Harry lived ina…house.’. We are given two ANSWERS with this order: ANSWER 1 and ANSWER 2.Then, we need to choose the right adjective order before the common noun ‘house’: ‘a big modern house’ or ‘a modern big house’. When more than one adjective comes before a noun, the adjectives are normally ina particular order. The most usual sequence of adjectives is the following: 1. general opinion (good, lovely,nice, etc.); 2. specific opinion (We only use such adjectives that give a specific opinion to describe particular kinds of noun (delicious, comfortable, clever, friendly); 3. size (big, tall); 4. physical quality (thin, untidy); 5. shape (round); 6. age (young, old); 7. colour (green, pastel); 8. origin (Dutch,northern); 9. material (metal, wood); 10. type (general-purpose, U-shaped, four-sided); 11.purpose (folding, work, racing).Thus, for the test sentence we need to choose ANSWER 1: Harry lived in a big (3. size) modern (6.age) house.
topic	word order
level	1

Test Sentence Big Modern Subject Word Order Lived